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The curious case of Arthur Lynch and the Dolphins’ search for a third tight end

The Dolphins gave up on 2012 third-round draft choice Michael Egnew, leaving an opening for a third tight end.

Egnew, waived by the Dolphins late last week, was claimed by Detroit on Monday. The Dolphins only have two obvious choices at tight end for the 53-man roster: Charles Clay and Dion Sims.

The Dolphins used a fifth-round draft choice this year on Georgia’s Arthur Lynch, so he’d be the team’s ideal third tight end. But he hasn’t appeared in a preseason game yet.

Lynch

Lynch said Monday that he has a back issue that has limited in the preseason and camp. He didn’t go in to specifics on the injury but said he feels fine to play. Doctors, however, haven’t let him go full speed on 11-on-11 drills yet let alone appear in a game.

“If you’re asking me how I feel on a personal level — I’m not a doctor, I can’t read MRIs or X-rays — from that standpoint I can’t tell you right now,” Lynch said. “If you were like ‘hey, can you play tonight?” I’d say ‘yeah, heck yeah.’ I thought I could play in the past one as well but there’s time tables you have to abide to. I plan on following the orders of coaches. They tell me what I can do. That’s when I’ll do it.”

Lynch, known for his blocking more than his receiving ability when he was drafted by Miami, participated fully in OTAs.

“Once we kind of figured out what was going on and how we wanted to manage it, I was kind of held back a little bit more,” he said.

He’s participated in about 75 percent of practices, he said. That includes one-on-one and 7-on-7 drills, walkthroughs and limited 11-on-11 drills.

“I fully intend to play in the games,” he said. “Obviously you’ve got to make the team first. You’ve got to contribute in the preseason to make the 53-man roster. But I have no intentions of wanting to sit out. I’m healthy enough to do a lot of things. I think a lot of the stuff is precautionary issues of why I haven’t played so far in the preseason games.”

There’s the possibility Lynch could be placed on the IR list. He said that’s up to general manager Dennis Hickey and the coaching staff.

“My body’s healing and I’m getting really excited for Thursday in hopes to knock out my first preseason game in the NFL,” he said.

“The thing that’s hardest about this situation that I’m currently in is I can’t go full speed. That’s what I want to show. But I also think that has been a blessing in disguise as well because it’s made me focus on my route running ability, my ability to garner the playbook and what they want me to do here. That’s the positive to look at.”

The Dolphins could choose to place Lynch on the practice squad with the risk that a team could claim him. But considering the injury, the Dolphins might be safe to stash him away.

Miami has other options for the third tight end spot.

– Evan Wilson, a 6-foot-6, 253-pound undrafted rookie out of Illinois, played the second-most snaps (after Sims) of any Dolphins tight end in Saturday’s win against the Cowboys. Wilson had 19 defensive snaps but is is considered a long shot at best to make the team. He had one catch for six yards on Saturday and had a -0.5 grading by Pro Football, which is considered average.

– Brett Brackett, a 6-foot-5, 246 pound journeyman who has bounced around various practice squads, had 17 snaps. He didn’t have a catch and had a -0.6 PFF rating. He had 57 receiving yards in Miami’s preseason opener against Atlanta and 12 yards against Tampa Bay. He’s been targeted five times in the preseason and caught all five passes.

– Gator Hoskins, a 6-foot-2, 248 pound undrafted rookie out of Marshall, was playing well early in training camp before injuring his hamstring. He played in his first preseason game on Saturday and had 16 snaps with one reception for 27 yards. It was a touchdown. He was targeted twice in the game and had a +0.9 PFF rating.

Hoskins, who led NCAA tight ends in touchdowns the last two seasons, is smaller than the other tight and is considered a versatile Charles Clay-like player. Before the hamstring injury, Clay said Hoskins was further ahead than Clay was his rookie season.

– Kyle Miller, 6-5, 262, was on Miami’s practice squad last year. He had 13 snaps against the Cowboys without a reception and a +0.1 PFF rating. He has two preseason catches.

Prediction:

Miami’s third tight end is one of the toughest spots to predict. Even if the Dolphins keep six receivers, they don’t have a fullback to take up a roster spot so I think they’ll keep three tight ends. Coach Joe Philbin said several weeks ago he’d even consider four tight ends, but it seems unlikely with this group.

The injury hurt Hoskins but he’s my top choice for the roster spot because of his versatility and playmaking ability.

If it’s not Hoskins, Miller is a possibility after a year in the organization.

If it comes down to special teams, Brackett had the most special team snaps against Dallas with seven. Miller had four and Hoskins had one.

Trackbacks

[…] “If you’re asking me how I feel on a personal level — I’m not a doctor, I can’t read MRIs or X-rays — from that standpoint I can’t tell you right now,” Lynch said. “If you were like ‘hey, can you play tonight?” I’d say ‘yeah, heck yeah.’ I thought I could play in the past one as well but there’s time tables you have to abide to. I plan on following the orders of coaches. They tell me what I can …read more […]

[…] Arthur Lynch is a tight end drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He is 6’5 255lbs and entering his second year in the NFL. He is considered to be the third TE on the depth chart and was believed to be last year as well. […]